JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is an increasingly used tool for data collection in behavioral research. There has been limited evaluation of EMA’s potential influence on behavior.

Objective:

This paper examines perceptions of the potential behavioral influence of EMA on research participants enrolled in a tobacco treatment intervention.

Methods:

We performed a qualitative analysis of in-depth interviews with participants enrolled in a tobacco treatment intervention pilot randomized clinical trial that used text messaging to collect EMA data on smoking behaviors. Participants were prompted to share their experiences with the EMA texting component of the trial, but were not directly asked about the influence of the EMA on their behavior. Transcripts were coded according to the principles of the Framework analysis for applied research. The codes were then examined, summarized, and grouped together into themes using the principles of grounded theory.

Results:

Themes developed from the analysis suggest there is a potential for EMA, in the form of a text-messaging smoking diary, to influence participant smoking behaviors. EMA prompts’ impact was not uniform across participants with some perceiving it as a source of accountability, while others reported the messages serve as trigger for cigarette use.

Conclusions:

The collection of EMA smoking behavior data via text messaging may influence behaviors and perceptions of participants in tobacco treatment interventions. More research is needed to determine the magnitude of impact and mechanisms to account for the potential effects of EMA. A broader discussion of unintended effects introduced by the use of EMA is warranted among the research community. Clinical Trial: N/A